A Slytherin and a Gryffindor
by aaramlexiaa
Summary: Formerly Predestined. Ron and Pansy are being forced to marry each other. A situation which neither are very happy about. But with Voldemort becoming more aggressive in his attacks they must band together if they want to stay alive.
1. Prologue

Predestined

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Summary: The actions of their ancestors force two enemies together. Through the story of their ancestor's ill-fated love they begin to understand why they are not so different after all.

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Many generations ago, the wizarding world was going through a period of great turmoil. For centuries the wizarding community had been focused on protecting themselves from the curious and often violent intrusion of muggles. The muggles, going through very dark times had looked to the church for the reasons behind their suffering. The church, among many other excuses, had offered them one of their favorite scapegoats, us. Mostly, the church's manhunts had caught nonwizards, for our ancestors knew how to hide themselves well. But, we were also going through tough times and as the centuries past more and more of our numbers were being caught. Gradually, with the invention of new, more powerful wards and memory charms coupled with the progressive improvement of both muggle and wizarding welfare the threat from muggle hunting seemed to pass. Years of muggle persecution had left their scars, however, and in absence of a real threat from muggles some of the stronger pureblooded families seemed to find one in an old idea.

During those times our family was very prosperous and well regarded in the wizarding community. The patriarch of our family was deputy minister of magic and had a reputation of being fair and unbiased in his decisions. Unlike most pure blooded families in those days, and even now, our family was known to be neutral politically, mostly due to our ancestor's reluctance to voice his opinions publicly. But our ancestor's policy of never giving an opinion on an issue unless it was a proposed law did not sit well with his only son. His son, a manchild of great moral fiber, was particularly upset with his father's perceived lack of concern over the pureblooded movement that was just beginning to gather steam. The son felt his father should use his particularly great power, his privilege, to do not what was necessary, as the father was wont to preach, but what was, in the son's opinion, right. He felt all mention of pureblooded dominance should be banned, which was an unlikely stance for a pureblooded wizard such as himself and a particular source of strain between father and son.

One night over dinner, the tension between father and son came to a head. The son challenged the father to do something about the pureblooded fanaticism that had been building up in the wizarding community. The father, in turn, challenged the son to show him what he should fix.

The son, incensed, began to talk. And soon he found that he couldn't stop. He talked for hours; he talked of all of the ignorance and hate that the pureblooded movement was causing. He talked of the unease and confusion it caused in among the masses. Late into the evening, after everyone else in the household had retired, still the son spoke, and the father listened. He listened raptly to every word out of his son's mouth, and when his son finally fell silent he considered the son's words, and his own thoughts, and after an hour of silent contemplation from both men, the father spoke.

He too, the father said, did not believe that the idolatry of the pureblooded fanatics was right. It was dangerous, he agreed, but what was illegal in snubbing those who did not meet a certain pedigree? What was illegal about the gatherings they organized, or the pamphlets they distributed? It would be far more dangerous, he argued, if the ministry, which was created to protect the rights of all wizards and witches, were to ban them from their meetings. Not only would it set a precarious precedent for future abuse of the ministry's power, it would only fan the flames of hatred and the issue would become one hundred times more severe.

The son, unsatisfied with his father's answer, posed a question. If the father would not fight the fanaticism with laws, should he not still publicly speak out about an issue that was so wholly against his beliefs? Could he not fight the idea with logic and understanding and tolerance? The father was a respected man; his word would go a thousand times farther than that of the son.

But, the father replied, that was exactly what he was doing. The father said the son believed the best way to fight the movement was by preventing the spread of its ideas. The father believed that it was to promote the extinction of them. The same men who led the movement, he said, who believed they deserved special treatment because a hundred years before they were even born their ancestors were magical, they were the same men who voted to increase the funding for Hogwart's. They were men who loved their families and paid their fair share and more of the taxes. Although the son might not be able to believe it, the father believed that those men were just as capable of love in their hearts as he or the son. You, he told the son, chose to see only the one side of these men, the political, the ideological side. The father saw their whole beings and through logic, and understanding, and especially tolerance the father proposed to chip away at their ideas and eventually he believed that the men would begin to see the error of their ways. If those men, the father said, the most fervent of supporters of the cause, could not be dissuaded then the father believed that the idea would always live on.

And finally the father presented the son with the final challenge of the night. He dared the son to spend one month living with one of the most passionately devoted families of the cause. To try to understand their logic, and to try to change the family's views, not through arguments as the son would naturally want to do, but through actions which the father believed could persuade people a thousand times easier than words.

The son, convinced of the futility of such an action but too proud to turn his father down, agreed.

The father's challenge would set off a chain of events that would have far stronger and long lasting implications than even he could have fathomed. It would be the start of a heated feud between two families that is still present today. It would forever change the path of the son's life, and, it would have a great impact on your destiny.

Yes, these events, though long gone, have affected you greatly. You may not know it yet, but I am merely borrowing this story. It is yours, and eventually, you will no longer need me to tell it to you, for you already know it by heart.


	2. The Contract

"So, what'd you guys want to talk to me about?" Ron asked as he sat down in the living room with his parents, "Because for the record I did not break Dad's favorite muggle toy. Did Ginny try to blame that on me? She did didn't she! That's a lie! We both broke it and I cannot believe you guys are going to punish me for it and not…"

"Ron, please!" Molly interrupted him; "We don't care about the muggle contraption."

"Now I wouldn't go that far, Molly, that moose was very dear to me. I still don't know why they would call it a moose. Why, it doesn't even look like a moose. In fact, if I had to compare it to any animal I would have to say that it most resembles a mouse. I must say, muggles are very odd, indeed. Just the other day while out on an assignment…"

"Arthur I swear! There are more important matters at hand."

Molly looked quite upset as she turned to address her son.

"Ronald, we have a very important issue to discuss with you. And I know that it may seem unfair to you, because it is, and I hate that it's come to this, and I hate your father, and I hate his ancestors for this, and I hate myself for giving birth to you a day before I was due, and I…"

"Molly, stop. You're scaring the boy. Here, take this handkerchief, and please, stop crying, it's not that bad."

"Not that bad! Our baby's being forced to marry that conceited, hateful girl and it's not that bad! I always thought that he would marry Hermione, even one of the Patil sisters, or Madame Bone's daughter Susan even, but not her!"

"Woah, back up a bit. You want me to do what?"

"We don't want you to do anything, son. This is something that you have to do."

"But, Dad…"

"Please, Ron, just listen to my story without interrupting and then you can say whatever you want." Arthur sighed and kneaded his forehead with his hands before continuing, "Hundreds of years ago your great grandfather many times over, Roman, was born. A girl, Sophia, was born on the same day. Years later they met and fell in love but Sophia was already promised to another wizard. Still, Roman did everything he could to try to convince Sophia's father to break her marriage contract with the other wizard so that they could marry. He offered him everything he owned, which was quite a bit, as the Weasley's were still a pretty wealthy family in those days. But her father refused, it was pretty scandalous to break marriage contracts in those days and her father was a very proud man."

Ron couldn't help but interject, "If they wanted to get married that badly then why didn't they just run away together?"

"They couldn't. The spell binding her and her fiancee barred her from marrying any but him. Roman finally gave up hope of ever being able to marry Sophia, but decided to sneak into her father's castle to see her one last time before her wedding. It so happened that on that very day a band of criminals attacked Sophia's fiancee while he too was on his way to her father's castle. During the fray Sophia's fiancee's wand was snapped in two and he most certainly would have been killed if Roman had not happened upon the scene at that very moment and saved him. Sophia's fiancee now owned Roman a life debt. In today's society nobody pays attention to them but back then they regarded them very highly."

"So, what? Did he give Roman Sophia to make up for it?"

"That certainly would have made sense. In fact, that is what everyone thought he would do. But this man hated Roman, and Sophia's family was very powerful, something that this man craved greatly. Instead, he offered half of his personal fortune. But Roman would not take it and Sophia's fiancee would not offer anything else. After many weeks of stalemate it was actually Sophia, who had never had a say throughout the whole ordeal, who came up with the solution."

"She suggested that two things be done. First, her fiancee would give Roman ¼ of his possessions. The second stipulation was a rather odd one. Sophia claimed to have had a vision that directed her that a marriage contract much like her own should be made. This contract would state that the first direct male descendant of Roman and the first direct female descendant of Sophia and her fiancee (who had to be an only child) born on the same day would be legally bound to be married before their sixteenth birthday. After much pleading from Sophia both Roman and her fiancee agreed to her plan and the marriage contract was drawn up. I hate to have to tell you this Ron, but your name has appeared on the contract."

Ron sat thinking for a long moment, as if he didn't know what to yell about first, before he finally found a suitable subject, "HOW COULD YOU WAIT UNTIL A MONTH BEFORE MY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY TO TELL ME ABOUT THIS? SHOULDN'T YOU HAVE THOUGHT OF THIS WHEN YOU DECIDED TO HAVE _SEVEN_ KIDS?"

"I'm sorry Ron I didn't even know it was real until a few days ago. I'd only heard the story once from my father when I was very young and had thought it was just a story he made up. In fact, I bet my father just thought it was a story too. If we had known, we would have tried to avoid it."

Ron only seemed slightly less upset, "So how'd you find out about it then?"

Last week Lucious Malfoy and Lawrence Parkinson tried to have a marriage contract created for Draco and Pansy, but it failed because Ms. Parkinson was already entered in another contract. When they investigated they found the contract I just told you about."

If Ron had been upset before, he was down right distressed now. His freckles stood out in stark contrast with the whiteness of his face as he shakily asked a question he didn't want the answer to.

"You mean the other person in the contract, the girl you want me to marry is..." Ron could not find the will to say the name and merely gulped in anticipation of his father's reply.

"Yes, Ron, you must marry Pansy Parkinson."

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"I won't marry him!" Pansy screamed at her parents, "Break the contract, can't you just pay them off? His family is so poor I bet it would take next to nothing."

"Pansy," her father replied harshly, "we've told you the contract can't be broken by anyone but the original drawers of the contract, both of whom are long dead. You have to marry him."

"I won't," Pansy answered her father defiantly, "I just won't marry him, you can't make me."

"If you don't marry him by your sixteenth birthday you will die!"

Pansy was shocked by her father'srevelation but could not bring herself to believe it.

"That can't be true, the ministry wouldn't allow it!"

"Your right, this current ministry would never let a contract such as this be drawn up, but this contract is hundreds of years old, because it was legal when it was drawn up it is legal today. There is ancient magic binding you to this contract and nothing could break it."

"I'd rather die then!" Pansy proclaimed foolishly.

"I thought the same thing. It would be much better than giving you over to those muggle lovers but your mother has interceded on your behalf."

"Lawrence, don't lie to the girl. None of your deatheater friends are here to appreciate your dedication to the cause," the last bit of Rose Parkinson's statement was practically snarled at her husband.

"Pansy, it will be hard for all of us to see you marry that Weasley boy, but in the end all that matters is your safety. At least this way I'll still have a daughter, even if you are living with _those people."_

"But Mum, can't I just marry him and then come back home and pretend it never happened."

"Pansy you know you can't do that. It would be an absolute scandal, marriage is not looked upon lightly."

"But if nobody knew…"

"It's too late for that dear, someone from the magical contracts department has already leaked the story to the press."

"Why would they care? I'm sure they discover random unfair contracts that ruin people's lives everyday."

"Yes, but not many involve Harry Potter's best friend and the girl who was supposed to marry Lucious Malfoy's son." Pansy's father reminded her, "I tried to keep it out of the papers but it was no use. It will probably be in tomorrow's Daily Prophet."

For the first time in what seemed like years, Pansy let her self assured expression slip and looked like a lost fifteen year old girl as she resigned herself to her fate.

"I have to marry Ron Weasley," she moaned to herself.


	3. The Letters

Ron,

Wow, um, I don't really know what to say. Are you sure there's no way of getting out of it? I thought my summer was going bad, having to live with the Dursleys and all, but _Pansy Parkinson_?

Sorry mate,

Harry

**Harry,**

Thanks for the words of encouragement. After your letter I feel one hundred percent better about the whole situation. Really, I mean honestly, she's probably only the second most hated slytherin in our year behind Draco Malfoy, no big deal. Oh, and did I mention that I would also be getting Malfoy's castoff. Apparently she was supposed to marry him. Go figure.

Ron 

Ron,

Maybe the situation isn't that bad after all. I mean, really, you're stealing her away from Malfoy. You know he's got to be right upset about that. And, hey, if it had to be a slytherin be glad you got Pansy, she's not bad looking (for a slytherin). Just imagine how you'd feel if it were Millicent Bulstrode instead.

Don't you feel better now?

Harry

PS So, does that mean I get to be your best man?

**Dear Great Git,**

**If that's the best you can do in the way of cheering me up I don't know if you deserve to be best man. I'll be having nightmares of Millicent Bulstrode for weeks now thanks to you. But, seriously, I don't know if they're even going to let you come. Pansy's family members are mostly suspected deatheaters you know. How am I supposed to deal with this? It's a bloody nightmare. If only I were actually going to wake up from it.**

**Distressed,**

**Ron**

_Dear Ron,_

_There is no way I am going to let them do this to you. I won't have you marrying that deceitful little Jezebel. I need you to send me a copy of that contract. There has got to be some kind of loophole, there just has to be. Honestly, I know the wizarding world hasn't always been the fairest of places but this is absolutely barbaric. I'm trying to convince my parents to let me come back from holiday early so that we can get a head start on this. Your birthday is only two months away so we've no time to lose. To think I'm sitting here on a beach writing this instead of being there with you where I should be. Don't worry, we'll figure this out._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

**Dear Hermione,**

**I appreciate the thought and everything but there's nothing you can do. Even Dumbledore couldn't help. The only thing that he could tell me was to always apologize even when it wasn't my fault. What kind of advice is that? If he thinks that I'll ever apologize to _her_ especially when it's not my fault he's got another thing coming. Anyway, there's no point in you rushing back from your vacation early. So just enjoy the rest of your vacation and I'll see you in two weeks, at my wedding. Yes, I have resigned myself to my fate. No, really, I have.**

**Sincerely,**

**Ron**

_Dear Ron,_

_I'm still going to check into this._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

_Draco,_

_If you don't start answering my letters you can expect a few howlers to be coming your way and soon. It's not my fault that some daft ancestor of mine entered me into this crazy contract. I always knew you were a spoiled little baby but I didn't know that you were this bad._

_Pansy_

_PS If you don't answer this that howler that I promised you will include a few details that I don't think you would want anyone finding out about. Including a few that you don't even know that I know._

Pansy,

As much as it grieves me to inform you, my father has decided that we may no longer exchange correspondence as it would be very unsightly to be caught exchanging letters with a member of a family with such mudblood loving ways.

Yours,

Draco M. Malfoy

_Draco you bastard my family is every bit as pureblooded as yours and as I recall the Parkinsons have actually gone longer without marrying a muggle than the Malfoys so I would dispense with that superior tone now if I were you._

_Best Wishes,_

_Pansy_

Miss Parkinson,

I was actually referring to your new family, you remember, the one that you will be marrying into in a few weeks. Pansy Athena Weasley, it has a nice ring to it don't you think? I'm sure you will be very happy living in a shack with Weasley and raising all his red headed brats. So, how many do you think you'll have? I'd say eight at the very least but why stop there? An even dozen sounds like a nice number don't you think? Well, as much fun as it is writing to you I simply must stop. Oh, I almost forgot, I won't be able to make it to your wedding. Such a shame, it's not everyday one gets to witness a freak show such as a Weasley getting married.

Congratulations,

Draco M. Malfoy

PS This is the last letter that I will ever be sending you. Don't even bother responding.

_Weasley,_

_You have ruined my life. I hate you._

_Pansy **Parkinson**_

You hate me! This all your bloody ancestor's fault. And if you think that you are going to walk into my house and start ordering everyone around think again. I know how you slytherins are.

Ron Weasley

(Which is going to be your name too so get used to it)

_Weasley,_

_If your ancestor hadn't been so stubborn we wouldn't be in this situation. And don't worry, I know better than to depend on anyone from your family to do anything competently. I will be bringing a personal house elf._

_Sincerely,_

_Miss. Parkinson_

Dear future Mrs. Weasley,

That's right, MRS. WEASLEY. Stop writing to me.

Much love,

Mr. Weasley

_Don't worry, I've got much more important things to be doing than writing to the likes of you._

_Pansy Parkinson_

Yeah, like planning a wedding. To the person of which you have more important things to be doing than writing to the likes of them. Stop writing to me.

Ron Weasley

_If you don't want me writing to you then you stop writing to me. And in your attempts to wound me with reminders that I am being forced to wed you, you seem to be forgetting one little fact. You will also be marrying me. I'm sure your little mudblood girlfriend is absolutely heart broken. What's Harry think of all this? I can call him Harry can't I?_

_Love,_

_Your future bride_

Dumpling,

You know, I think I'll start calling you that from now on. I think all of your little slytherin friends would love it. Also, I'll only tell you this once: Leave Harry and Hermione out of this. And, oh yeah, stop writing me.

Your Loving FIANCEE

_Darrrllllling,_

_I was so pleased to receive your note. To think, in only one more week we'll be married and together all the time._

_Anxiously waiting until we're married,_

_Dumpling_

Dumpling,

I also can't wait until we're married. And then you can live at _my house _with _me_ for the rest of the summer. Sadly, my mother has informed me that you will not be able to bring a house elf along with you but I'm sure that you'll manage.

Only six days to go,

Your Darling Fiancee

_Darling,_

_I'm sure I'll manage somehow. I know you'll be a perfect gentleman and assist me in any way that I may need. I know your mother wouldn't have it any other way._

_Hugs and Kisses,_

_Your soon to be wife_

Three days honey, three days. I'm sure you'll love it at my house.

Your darrrllling fiancee

_Darling,_

_Only two days until we're to be married. I thought maybe we could redecorate your, I mean our, room. I was thinking green and silver; doesn't that sound absolutely lovely?_

_Two days,_

_Pansy_

Love,

Green and Silver would have been really fetching. Sadly, we have already redecorated in crimson and gold. I'm sure you don't mind.

Two days,

Ron

_Darling,_

_Of course I don't mind. All that matters is that we will be together. A lot._

_Until tomorrow,_

_Pansy_

Love,

I knew you wouldn't mind.

Tomorrow,

Ron


	4. The Wedding

The Wedding

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Ron Weasley was nervous. More nervous than he'd probably ever been in his life. More nervous than in all the adventures he had had over the years with Harry. At least then he knew what to expect. But this, this was way over Ron's head.

He was marrying Pansy Parkinson: today.

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If no one were around Pansy would probably be bawling her eyes out by now. But as it was, there was no way she'd give any of these people the pleasure of seeing her cry. She could just imagine the satisfied smirk that Ron's sister would send her way. And as for her cousins, well, they were more heartless than Pansy could ever be. Family ties would mean nothing to them; they would have no qualms about sending a few well worded taunts her way.

Oh, wait. They'd been doing that all day.

For not the first time that day Pansy mentally kicked herself for allowing Maude and Gretchen to be bridesmaids. Of course, there hadn't been anyone else since none of her so-called friends would even come to the wedding, much less lower themselves to the point of participating. But still, even Weasley had been a kinder bridesmaid than they had. Which was not to say that she had been very kind. Of course, she hadn't been very mean either. In fact, Ginny's indifference was starting to rub her the wrong way. At least if she would treat her like the enemy she had always been she'd know how to behave around the youngest Weasley. Pansy's instincts were screaming at her to send a few snide remarks Ginny's way but Pansy knew that that would be a bad idea.

As her mother had pointed out to her numerous times over the past few weeks she was going to be living with these people. It wouldn't be a good idea to just start making herself enemies in the family. But still, if Ginny started anything, well, that wouldn't be her fault, would it?

Too bad Ginny didn't look like she'd be starting anything any time soon.

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"Ron!"

Ron turned to find his best mate flanked by Charlie and Bill running down the hall towards where Ron had been pacing outside his dressing room.

"Harry, it's about bloody time. The wedding's in less than an hour. I didn't think you were going to make it."

"You can thank my guard here for that." Harry inclined his head towards the two Weasleys behind him as they reached Ron, "They were two hours late picking me up."

"It's not our fault," Charlie exclaimed indignantly, "Dumbledore gave strict instructions that you were not to leave your aunt's house unless we had five guards. You'll have to talk to Fred and George about why they never showed up at the rendezvous point to help pick you up."

"Really," Bill chimed in, "You should be thanking us. WE were the ones who found two other people to come with us while Moody was ready to call the whole thing off."

"Yeah," Harry exclaimed wickedly as they all entered the room, "Your girlfriends."

Ron's eyebrows shot up. "Girlfriends?"

"Yes, and you know who they are?"

"Who?" Ron could barely hold the same glee from his voice that he could hear in Harry's.

"Fleur Delacour and Tonks!"

"No way! What could Fleur possibly see in Bill? And Tonks is way too cool for Charlie."

"Actually," Bill said as redness began to creep up his neck, "It's the other way around."

Even weirder, Ron thought.

"They're actually just our dates." Charlie practically mumbled at his feet.

Ron didn't know why Charlie had any reason to be embarrassed about a date with the part veela. She was probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. Really, Bill had no reason to be embarrassed either. Tonks was pretty brilliant in her own right. She always had lots of crazy stories to tell and she could transform into anyone. They were actually pretty damn lucky, much more so than himself as Charlie accidentally reminded him.

"Like you've any room to make fun of us. Aren't you the one getting **married**today?"

Sadly, Ron really didn't have any time to feel sorry for himself. Apparently, whether this was a forced marriage or not, everyone was under the impression that it was still going to be the best day of his life. And so Ron had a part to play. And if he was going to play it, he was damn well going to own it.

"Ah, yes, marriage. A foreign concept to both of you I'm sure. I'm surprised that it's even in your vocabulary. But, yes, I am getting married today. To the most beautiful…"

"Ron, seriously, you don't have to act all happy about it in front of us." Harry butted in.

Apparently he didn't own the part.

"But Harry, I've been practicing that speech for days. I hadn't even gotten to the part about how much I adored her cunning, slytherin ways."

"Ron, nobodies going to believe that coming from you. You couldn't even call her beautiful without grimacing."

Was he really that bad? Maybe he wouldn't give that speech at the reception after all.

"I don't know why baby brother. We got a good look at the bird earlier and to be truthful she could probably do better than you."

Great. Gred and Forge. Just what he needed.

"Too true, Fred." George said as he sat a big box down on the table in the center of the room, "Really, this contract is turning out to be a good thing for you."

"And how's that?" He asked warily.

"Why," the twins glanced at each other as they replied, "You couldn't get a girl any other way."

It was too bad that Charlie and Harry had been standing so close to him. Beating the pulp out of one of the twins would have calmed his nerves considerably.

"You know you two really should be keeping a low profile right now. Both Moody and Mum are just aching to find you after you didn't show up this morning." Even the twins couldn't help but look a little intimidated as Bill stepped closer to them, "Now that I think about, a few people in this room may be a little upset with you too."

Ron was satisfied to see the twins lose a little of their swagger under the force of the room's other four occupant's glares. Sadly, it didn't last long.

"About that," George began.

"We really are sorry," Fred tried to look mollified, but failed.

"But," George continued, "We have a very good reason for our absence earlier."

"Ron's wedding present!" Fred yelled as he threw the box that George had deposited on the table earlier at him.

Ron didn't think he wanted to open it.

"I don't think I want to open this."

"Oh, come on Ron, we promise there's no spiders in there."

"In fact, you'll probably be thanking us for it later tonight, if you know what I mean."

"I don't think I want you to open it either, Ron." Harry croaked out.

"Now this I definitely want to see."

Apparently Bill was no longer mad at the twins.

"I can't believe we didn't think to do this!" Charlie yelled at Bill as all of his brothers crowded around Ron.

"Our Ickle Ronnikins is almost a man!"

"Uh, I think I'll go check on, um, on the altar! Yeah, got to make sure it's sturdy and all. Wouldn't want it to collapse or anything horrible like that!"

And Harry was gone.

"Oh come on Ronnikins, there's no reason to be embarrassed in front of us, we're your big brothers!"

"Yeah, we're here to help."

"And he'll probably need a lot of help figuring this one out."

And suddenly he couldn't wait for the ceremony. Anything to get away from his brothers and this moment.

"What are you boys doing?"

Saved. Boy did he love his dad.

"Well, Dad, Fred and George here were just giving Ron a little wedding present."

Ron didn't know how Charlie's face could contain a grin that big. Did none of his brothers have any shame?

"Well you know you should have waited until the reception…"

"No, Dad, this isn't the kind of gift you would open at a reception." Bill gladly explained to his father.

Thank Merlin. He would be spared. Anytime now…

"Ohhh," Arthur exclaimed, "Well in that case maybe you should open it now."

"Just remember boys, your mother hears nothing about this."

Everyone but Ron nodded in agreement and the next thing he knew his father had joined the group huddled around him waiting to see him open the 'present'.

It wasn't right. It just wasn't right.

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Pansy didn't know who she wanted to strangle more. Her mother or Ron's. Ron's, she decided, the woman did give birth to him after all.

"Oh Pansy, do sit still. You know the make up utensils won't be able to work if you keep bobbing your head around."

"I'm just so glad that Dumbledore let us have the wedding here at Hogwarts…"

"Oh, I know, the great hall is absolutely beautiful."

"Do you think this hairdo will work?"

"Oh, no, it makes her look sixteen."

"Mum, I'm **fifteen**."

"And getting married."

"Your right. Maybe a French twist with…"

And Pansy went back to ignoring them. After all, they had no interest in listening to her ideas, so why should she listen to theirs? For two women who were supposed to hate each other so much they were sure acting pretty chummy. Blabbering on and on about their weddings and other boring stuff like that. Pansy couldn't decide if her Mum actually liked the other woman or if she was just a really good actress. Mrs. Weasley was a poor muggle lover after all. She couldn't see her Mother actually liking someone like that. Then again, she couldn't see her mother as a very good actress either. One thing that she had always liked about her mother was that unlike her father or Pansy herself her mother wasn't very good at lying and even seemed to have a dislike of it, odd as that was for a slytherin.

"Mum, I think there's a crease in Pansy's robes."

"Oh, no!" Both women exclaimed and in a second they were across the room and inspecting every inch of Pansy's robes.

And then Ginny was standing in front of her inspecting all of the beauty aids surrounding Pansy.

"These, I think, are rather useless."

And Pansy's mother's **very** expensive set of enchanted makeup equipment found its way to the trash can.

"How to get Fabulous Hairdos with Three Easy Spells? Trash."

And the hated book joined the makeup.

"Really, all of this, trash."

And now the table was clear.

"So, what do **you** think we should do for your hair and makeup?"

To answer politely or to sneer, that was the question. The answer? Pansy couldn't take anymore of the two older women.

"Minimal makeup with emphasis on the eyes. Hair: half up half down."

"Exactly what I was thinking on the makeup. But for the hair I know a spell for an up do that would look absolutely amazing on you."

Was this a trick? If she let Weasley near her hair with a wand she might not have any left afterwards. Then again, it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone anymore.

"Okay."

Two minutes and several spells later she had to admit that she looked perfect. Just what she needed: to be in debt to one of the Weasleys.

"We couldn't find any creases, Ginny, are you sure you saw one?"

"Oh, I must have got our robes confused," Ginny looked properly mortified, "It was **my **robes with the crease!"

"But your robes are an entirely different color. How could you get them confused?"

Ginny just shrugged at Mrs. Parkinson's question.

"Never mind, now what were we going to do with her hair?"

"Oh, don't worry Mum. Me and Pansy finished everything while you two were looking at her robes."

Pansy had to admire Ginny's ability to maintain her innocent look under the suspicious glare of both of their mothers.

She still didn't like her of course. Pansy Parkinson like a gryffindor? Yeah, right.

"Plus, the wedding's scheduled to start in twenty minutes. Now we'll have time to get dressed! You know you'll probably have to fix Pansy's robes a hundred times anyway. "

Ginny exclaimed a little too vibrantly, almost mockingly.

Like? Never. But she gave respect where respect was due, and the youngest Weasley had just earned her respect.

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"Come on Ron, its time to go stand at the altar."

"Well, I'd rather not." Ron responded trying not to sound too frantic.

"That's okay, Ronnikins. We could always show Harry that gift we got you."

"Altar. Right. That's to the left, right? You know what, don't worry, I'll find it on my own."

"Oh no you don't. You're coming with us."

Ron thought he might puke as Bill and Charlie practically dragged him down the hall.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pansy thought she might puke as she stood outside of the doors of the Great Hall.

She couldn't tell if the hand Ginny had placed on her arm was comforting or only causing the sick feeling to increase.

"Look, I know that this is hard for you," Ginny quickly whispered to her, "and I've given this a lot of thought. For all our differences we're still about to become sisters and I promise that I will treat you as if it were by blood. If you have any problems you can always come to me. And Ron really is a great big git, but he's a lovable one and if you just give him a chance you might find that out for yourself."

And then Ginny was walking through the doors. The last person before her father would be walking her through those very same doors.

Ginny Weasley, who was not only her maid of honor but now promising to treat her like a sister? She could believe the marriage contract, the fact that she was fifteen, even the fact that she was marrying Ron Weasley. But that? This whole situation was becoming altogether too fantastic for her to believe.

"Well, Pansy, looks like it's time to sacrifice any dignity this family may have had to the weasels. Just don't bring any of them along when you come to visit, all right?"

Pansy sure was glad she had her father there to offer such comforting words as they walked through the doors of the Great Hall.


End file.
